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Monday, 19 November 2012

Wummelkiste Review

I was delighted to be offered the chance to review one of the Wummelkiste craft boxes aimed at children from the age of three to seven. The boxes cost around 20€ depending on your level of sign up with them (one month, three months or a year subscription with each getting slightly cheaper on the monthly cost).

The box arrived and my son with excited by the packaging and I was also pleased to see it was addressed directly to him both on the box and in the welcome letter inside. There were three projects, of varying difficulty, with all the materials required plus a great pair of safety scissors.

The box is themed and the month we had to review the theme was musical instruments. As well as the three projects there is also a sheet with other ideas of things to make out of every day materials to match the theme.

The first project below was the easiest one and involved making shakers. There were some different materials included in the kit but the instructions encouraged other ideas as well. Once the construction is over there is a sheet to help you use the shakers as a game.

The second project (and the next one up in difficulty) was making a drum. I had to help my three year old a bit more with this one but he enjoyed the outcome a little more.

Finally the third project was making a hanging instrument with different size metal bars and a wooden beater. This was not possible for my son to construct but would be easier for the older age group the kit is aimed at. Again there is a suggestion as to how to use the finished item to encourage musical learning.

My son enjoyed the construction of the projects even when I was doing the bulk of the work and certainly has continued to use the musical instruments as toys afterwards. The box means that they can be tidied away easily afterwards.

I would observe that the actual creation of the projects is quite quick but fun nonetheless. I liked that there was a clear theme to the box and the associated activities. As a basic German speaker the instructions were very visual and easy to understand without the use of a dictionary so don't be put off if your German isn't great.

I would definitely try another month before signing up for longer but on the whole we enjoyed the activities.